Wesley Thomas Payne

He was born October 30, 1926, in Rochester, NY, and was the son of the late Hartley Thomas and Frances Kingsley Payne. He was a graduate of Shortsville High School in Shortsville, NY. He was a lifelong dairy farmer and received his Bachelors of Science in Agriculture from Cornell University where he was a member of the Alpha Zeta Fraternity. He was a member of Clarksbury United Methodist Church and a former member of Victor United Methodist Church and a founding member of Farmington United Methodist Church in Farmington, NY. While in New York, he served 14 years in local government as Supervisor for the Town of Farmington and as member and former Chairman of the Ontario County Board of Supervisors. He also served 10 years as a member and president of the Victor Central School Board. He had a strong commitment and dedication for his family and was a devoted and loving husband, father, and grandfather. He was a man who led by example and taught his family that the only way forward was by hard work. Although he was a man of few words, he leaves a legacy of a wise and strong man possessing a quiet strength.

He is survived by his wife, Doris Jeanette Taylor Payne, whom he married on June 2, 1951; a daughter, Janice (Gary) Burkhart of Shortsville, New York; two sons, Clifford Thomas (Lisa) Payne of Shortsville, New York and Charles (Anita) Payne of Harmony; eleven grandchildren, Daniel Payne, Seth Payne, Kara Leftwich, Jennifer McCartney, Chrystie Payne, Terra Payne, Janna Payne, Leslie Payne, Amy Payne, Matthew Howe and Eric Howe; seven great-grandchildren; a brother, George (Avis) Payne of New York; four sisters, Evelyn (Bob) Kahrs of Florida, Senie (Allan) Burns of Virginia, Wilma Kean of New York, and Joyce (Richard) Church of New York and Florida; and several nieces and nephews.

Funeral service celebrating Wesley’s life will be held at 2:00 PM Wednesday, February 18, 2015, at Clarksbury United Methodist Church with the Rev. Mandy Jones officiating. The body will lie in state 30 minutes prior to the service and burial will follow in the church cemetery.

The family will receive friends from 6:00 to 8:00 PM Tuesday at Clarksbury United Methodist Church.

Condolences may be sent to the family online at www.reavisfuneralhomeharmony.com.

For those who prefer, memorial contributions may be made to Clarksbury United Methodist Church, 924 E. Memorial Highway, Harmony, NC 28634; or to Gordon Hospice House, 2341 Simonton Road, Statesville, NC 28625.

Reavis Funeral Home of Harmony is entrusted with the arrangements.